Friday Fun - November 25, 2022 (a few days late)

Welcome to my Friday Fun post. This is where I share with two different book parties that post on Fridays: Book Beginnings on Fridays and the Friday 56.

This week I have a few books to share with you. I am not sure how I forgot about Friday Fun on the 18th, but I do know how I missed it this past Friday. We've been dealing with sickness since last Tuesday. Unfortunately Thursday and Friday were my turn. 

I finished my reread of Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger on November 15th. I then dove right in to the newest book, Stellarlune, and I finished it in a day. 

Keeper of the Lost Cities: Unlocked is actually book 8.5. About two-thirds of the book contains awesome information about the Keeper world, and the last third of the book is a novella told from both Sophie's and Keefe's point of view. 

Keeper of the Lost Cities: Stellarlune 

                                                                                                                                                                     

I also read The Lost Castle by Kristy Cambron for two, maybe three, of my reading challenges this month.

Book Beginnings on Fridays

(Please join Gilion Dumas for Book Beginnings every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.)

Here is my book beginnings for the novella part of Keeper of the Lost Cities: Unlocked by Shannon Messenger:

From the Preface:

"'I can't do this.'
The words felt desperate and terrifying-but Keefe could taste the truth behind them. So he didn't lie or take them back or try to twist them into a joke."

Coming from Keefe, this is actual very terrifying and heartbreaking as he is always the one who will turn things into a joke.

From Chapter 1:

"'So. . . how do we access the memory?' Sophie asked, pulling free from the deal-sealing handshake to uncover the clear, marble-size gadget that had been pressed between her palm and Councillor Oralie's."

Well, that is the question they've been trying to answer for a while. Finally we were getting an answer, but not quite the way we thought we would. And yay, it starts off right where Legacy left off.

Here is my book beginnings for Stellarlune by Shannon Messenger:

From the Preface:

"'There's nothing here.' Sophie wasn't sure who'd said it-but all her friends had to be thinking the same thing as they trudged through the long moonlit grass, which seemed to stretch endlessly into the darkness."

Well, that sounds disappointing. But, knowing these books, I was sure it would be revealed there was something there. And probably something disastrous will happen.

From Chapter 1:

"'Are you okay?'
Grady had asked the question three times, and Sophie still didn't have an answer. All she could do was stare at the crumpled note she'd found waiting for her in her bedroom, hoping she'd somehow misread it."

Had to wonder if the author was asking the reader this question as well. Knowing how she ended Unlocked. Because, no, no we were not okay with that cliffhanger. 

Here is my book beginnings for The Lost Castle by Kristy Cambron:

From the Preface:

"Crumbling walls were rare, beautiful things. 

They could display vulnerabilities without shame, for they'd already proven their worth in surviving generations-deep fractures and a multitude of fallen stones."

Hmm, never thought of crumbling walls this way. Interesting.

From Chapter 1:

"The letter recounted devastating news: Baron le Roux had been shot dead."

Quite the devastating sentence to start the book on, especially after way the preface started.

Now for:

The Friday 56

The Friday 56 is hosted over at Freda's Voice.

Rules:

*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

Here are my Friday 56 selections.

Keeper of the Lost Cities: Unlocked by Shannon Messenger:
 

"Elwin laughed. 'I almost want to give you guys a bag and see what kind of chaos ensues. But I'm guessing I'd end up regretting that. And thankfully there's an easy fix. Tilt your head back Keefe, and try to open your mouth as much you can."

Keeper of the Lost Cities: Stellarlune by Shannon Messenger:

"He snorted a bitter laugh. 'You expect me to trust you after you've admitted to experimenting on our son, scheming against the Council, erasing my memories, and hiding an ability?'"

The Lost Castle by Kristy Cambron

"Fortune had intervened before it was too late, catching her attention in the form of an old wooden sign peeking from the overgrowth on the side of the road. It boasted lovely names--in white-painted letters and accent marks near faded from the sun."